The Extinguishing of a Flame
by Phoenix's Moon
Summary: The path of a bird, the single stray gust- they can change everything, including life and death. * Butterfly effectness, no pairings *


The Extinguishing of a Flame

_A/N: This was written for Kittenklaws13, who PMed me a week or two back with a challenge. Let me tell you, I was as surprised as hell would have it when that message made its way to me. For reference, it read_

_"You like dark stories? Good. I want to see what you think the guild member's reaction would be if Natsu died. Maybe you can work in Igneel as well...? I just want to see what happens if you rip away the soul of Fairy Tail."_

_Kittenklaws13, I hope I did it justice. :) To end my small rant here…_

_ENJOY! :)_

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_"Life is dictated by the small choices; rarely the large ones." ~Anonymous _

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It takes a single mistake from one person to change time forever. One could step outside at the wrong moment, and injure themselves, preventing those taking care of them from preforming some other important task, which the incompletion of could injure someone else, and the cycle repeats. The most commonly known name for this effect, one you most likely know, is the "Butterfly Effect".

So, using this effect, if you extinguish a flame, someone can freeze to death. Someone's dreams could fail as the last drops of light in a cave fade away, and they could huddle in a corner. They could attempt to produce a flame of their own, only to find that they're malnourished from a lack of food, and that their lungs ache with every breath. As they deepen their breaths, they could reopen a severe wound and began to bleed on to the ground. They could shift around to find comfort from the sticky, cold ground, and find themselves curled up in a little ball. They could cry for their friends before the last of hope fades from the edges of their mind.

Then they could die.

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A single bird flying in front of a pack of dragons can cause all the trouble. It could have chosen to take a different path to its house today to avoid the echoing sound of a great building collapsing, and, coincidently, the pack could have been flying towards the noise to investigate it. Maybe the dragon at the tip of the arrow formation that cared for all lives, whether big or small, could have argued her spot against her male counterparts in hope of seeing her daughter before they could locate their sons. She might notice the bird at the very last minute and halt, or she might fly into it and feel grief for a small period of time before flying on.

Choice one is more likely though, if it is an option. Her halting might stop the entire pack in midair, and cause them to take longer to get to their destination. The time of the pit stop all depends on how aggressive the fire dragon feels that day, and how tough the metal dragon wants to appeal to the single female dragon in the group. Then, as they continue, they could pay no mind to the period of rest- time is insignificant in a dragon's eyes- and then there could be an attack from an alien creature from behind. The creature could taunt that the fire dragon's child is dead, if a flame was extinguished in a small cave well beneath the Earth.

Then they, great beasts of legend, could fall to the very things they were coming to protect their children from.

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If a bird flies away, a spilt second stop is made, a wind decides to take it's time to decimate the remainder of a wavering flame, then it can make all the difference to a person's life.

More accurately, Fairy Tail's.

If the heart of Fairy Tail was still alive, Lucy was sure that there'd be some sort of fight going on. Gray might anger Natsu over some silly little fact, and Juvia would dive straight in to protect her ideal boyfriend. They'd be a perfect little mess, with unpredictable outcomes for whoever might decide to clean it up. But the gear that was the core element of their insanity had been removed and they were dull, with no malfunctions.

If Lucy had been served a drink earlier, then she might have laughed. That hadn't happened though, and sober, mourning Lucy berated herself of thinking of her family as a machine, with parts being replaced and parts that weren't meant to go together, but still managed to. It was true though, in some sort of morbid way. In the past, when they'd lost part of the team- to go to the extremes, a majority of the guild- or a dream, or even some sort of evil mastermind, there was always a convenient thing to replace it with, just like antique parts from the key shops she used to go to.

Her gear could wear down at any moment now, either because of a rage attack from an opposing guild, or suicide.

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If Mirajane ever decided to take a day off, there was a good reason. A fellow guildmate might have died, or she might have decided to go boyfriend hunting. Today, it could have been the first, if she wasn't a magic user. But she was, and she was a demon magic user. If it weren't the case, she'd be at Fairy Tail, helping others deal with their sorrow while she suppressed her own.

The small probability that such a devastating attack on three of the strongest creatures out there had been from a mage was small. The unlikely chance of a witness had been defeated, and there were so many farmers claiming that it had been the fault of demons. One farmer, a young man from the ever-urban Buru, had almost likened it to a pop-legend character from the myth "Dragon Ball Z Kai", but had found himself engrossed by the media attention and had decided to keep quiet.

Since the rising aftereffects of two events had crashed into middle ground at the same time, Mirajane might have been targeted by many. Fortunately for her, few decided to ride her about it, but the small fraction that did get her involved burned her reputation to the ground.

She might have wondered how people would react if she was gone, and there was no more 'tenth' demon.

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Happy had undoubtedly taken the news the hardest. No matter what had happened to the others, or what side effects the deaths had on the world, he took it the worst. He was constantly running his paws through his fur until it fell out, a blue trail following him wherever he goes. There is no probability, there is no if.

There just is.

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A fighter is always somehow a fighter, even if they announce to the world otherwise. They might fight against their prior statues, or a death of a loved one. In Erza's case, it might have been both, if she hadn't had the inclination to throw herself into killing off the last of the demons. Somehow, it might have become a notion in her mind that Mirajane was in with Zeref's demons, and could have hunted her down in rage. But there might have also been the entirety of the guild attempting to convince her otherwise, if enough had the mind to pick themselves up and deal with more volatile elements of the guild.

But the metaphorical bird of fate had flapped the wind that directed her away from the path of supposed good.

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An ice garden just might have been the first sight a mourner might have found upon their entry to the Magnolia Town Graveyard. Spindly tendrils of pumpkin vines graced the entrance, possibly a scattering of lilies if Gray had seen Lucy earlier that day, and was feeling especially poetic. A small pond of reeds gave way to an ice casket. What it contained truly depended on Gray's current money stash, which, in turn, depended on if Natsu had been active in Fairy Tail until the 14th or 15th of October- a single day dictating if the fire mage had been able to accompany Gray on a small mission. The type of mission told the story behind if there was a torso or a scarf in the ornate, clear freezer, an A-rank meriting enough for a body part, and a short S-rank producing the dragon scale scarf that always followed Natsu around.

There was always something in there, symbolizing the death of a comrade.

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Now, suppose for a moment that the little birdie that caused a good portion of the trouble was stupid enough just to fly straight away from the collapse of the Council tower and straight into one of the many forests around it. Three dragons might find themselves with a clear pathway to a collapsing building, whose cellars have turned into a large dungeon-like structure. Their hearing might pick up the last breath of a dying boy.

Two might wonder who it belongs to.

The last, without a doubt, will begin to cry.

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The world falls apart when one person does, Natsu supposes as he pushes his candle out of a stray gust of wind. It's the single wind that dictates his very life and he somehow manages to dodge the bullet of death that one time. He might hear a roar from outside soon after, then scramble to the iron-clad door that keeps him in his cramped sell.

He might valiantly lead an attack on the door as large jets of flame weave their way to the other side. Roars of frustration and pain might resound through the entire compound.

But, in the end, if that one candle had been left alone, Natsu would find himself able to escape to the surface. He would have run up the many flights of stairs, stupidly ignoring his injuries for the prospect of freedom.

One he got to the surface, well.

He would have- no should have- slapped his father across the face before embracing him in a deep hug.

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_Please read and review! _


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